Farmers in the Kunene region have received 750 goats and 300 energy-efficient stoves facilitated under the IREMA Kunene Project, funded by the Green Climate Fund.
The goats, including the costs of medicine and vaccines, are valued at N$1.5 million, benefiting 32 farmers.
Seventeen beneficiaries are from the Khorixas constituency, seven from the Sesfontein area, five in the Grootburg area, and three in the Otjokavare area.
The stoves, which are locally produced, are also valued at N$1.5 million.
The donations were made by the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF), in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform (MAWLR), and the office of the Kunene Governor while implementing a Green Climate Fund (GCF) financed project titled: “Improving Rangeland and Ecosystem Management (IREMA) Practices of Smallholder Farmers under Conditions of Climate Change in Sesfontein, Fransfontein, and Warmquelle Areas in the Kunene Region.
“The distribution of goats and energy-efficient stoves to the vulnerable farmers couldn’t have come at a better time. These interventions are very relevant and much needed by our resource farmers who are hard-hit by the devastating and prolonged drought,” said Kunene Governor Marius Sheya.
Sheya said the IREMA Kunene Project’s Small Stock Revolving Scheme is complementing the Small Stock Development and Distribution to Communal Areas (SSDDCAs), which is a capital project initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform.
“This scheme is aimed at providing a quality core breeding flock of suitable goats to selected vulnerable households to gain a sustainable means of income generation and enhanced food and nutrition security while improving their social and economic well-being,” he said.
Overall, the IREMA project aims to reduce the vulnerability of smallholder farmers under climate change conditions by safeguarding natural capital that generates ecosystem services to sustain agricultural production systems.
The project is further expected to promote investments in integrated drought early warning systems and improve the existing ones; strengthen and improve the capacity of key stakeholders in drought risk management at regional, national, and local levels.
Additionally, it aims to support communities to undertake innovative adaptation actions that reinforce their resilience to drought.
Meanwhile, Bernadette Shivute-Shalumbu, Manager of Programming and Programmes at EIF, emphasized the significance of the IREMA project in responding to recurrent droughts in the Kunene region.
The project, she said, focuses on alternative farming practices, particularly the introduction of Boer goats as a resilient alternative to cattle farming.
“Additionally, the project addresses deforestation through the distribution of energy-efficient stoves that require less wood, contributing to environmental sustainability,” stated Shivute-Shalumbu.
